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How To Make New Wood To Look Old

Originally Published: April 21, 2011. Updated 2019.

We wanted a weathered, rustic wood look to the top of the DIY console storage table we built, but we couldn’t just make old, reclaimed barn wood or aged shipping pallets appear out of thin air. Instead, we had to find ways to turn new store-bought whitewood from Home Depot into something that looked like it had a story to tell. So here are the easy steps we took to turn that pristine wood into the old-looking, distressed tabletop we imagined. We’ve even got a video of our process in action!

how to distress wood making new wood look old

Making this new wood look old wasn’t just easy to do, it was actually kind of fun. The final look was achieved with a one-two punch of:

  • A variety of distressing techniques
  • Applying wood stain strategic

And spoiler, there’s almost some literal punching involved. Although it just involved some objects we had around the house, not our actual fists. Phew! So let’s get started:

Step 1: Purchase New Wood With Imperfections

Our project called for 1×4″ boards and we purchased the cheap whitewood from Home Depot. Not only is it affordable, but it’s hardly pristine to start with. So I tried to pick out boards that already had flaws or interesting texture details like knots, chips, dark stripes, etc.

whitewood boards with noticeable knots, cracks, and dark grain streaks to emphasize reclaimed look

Step 2: Make Your Cuts

Before distressing our wood, we cut each 8ft board into 2ft lengths, since we wanted sort of a “patchwork” look to the top of our console. It’s best to cut your wood to length ahead of time, if possible, so that you can distress all sides of it at one time. Otherwise you may expose your new wood (literally) when you make your cuts, and have to repeat some of these steps.

store bought 1x4 whitewood planks that have ben cut for use in console furniture building project

Step 3: Sand The Edges

The sharp corners and crisp edges of the store-bought wood was a dead giveaway that it was new. So before I got to beat up any of the boards, my first step was sanding the four edges on the top of each board using my palm sander. This wore down the crisp edge into a rounder and smoother one, so they looked older right off the bat.

using a black & decker palm sander to smooth edges of wood board

Knowing that I had some extras, I tried a bunch of things on a spare plank before really landing on a process (well, “process” is too strong of a word in this case, since it was pretty much a random exercise in let’s-see-what-happens).

Step 4: Start Beating Up Your Boards

I tried a handful-ish of techniques to create that aged wood texture and then used them sporadically throughout my pile. That way I’d end up with a mix of weathered looks, almost as if the boards had been scavenged from a few different sources after lots of character-creating trials and tribulations. So I’m going to show you all the different things we tried, but keep in mind that you don’t have to do EACH technique on EVERY board.

Oh and if you’re someone who likes all the details, I managed to capture a lot of my weathering “process” on video (so watch this if you want the “bonus stuff” that’s not all outlined below):

Note: You can also watch this video on YouTube.

Trick #1: Smack It With A Bag of Screws

The first thing we tried was smacking each board with a Ziploc bag full of coarse screws. I actually did this to each piece and ,besides sanding, it’s the only thing I did on all of them. It gave each board some very subtle dings or divots (see below) and it was also kinda cathartic, if I’m being totally honest. Oh and I’ve heard that some people do this with metal chains, which sounds equally fun.

close-up detail of plastic bag filled with course screws used to create distressed wood look for furniture project

Because I know it’s a bit tough to see the dings above, you can see them a bit more clearly on the final stained board below. Since stain catches and collects in all of these dents and dings, it tends to accentuate them – which is a good thing, in this case. This is the damage inflickted by the bag of screws.

distressed wood look created by hitting bag of screws on whitewood and then staining dark

Trick #2: Hit ‘Em With A Hammer

On some boards, I also hit them with my hammer. Whitewood or pine is relatively soft, so it’s easy to leave some dents with just a few light bangs. I liked to concentrate my hits in one spot because it looked more organic than having a few evenly spaced out hammerhead impressions. I was all about the cluster.

hitting hammer against new whitewood board to make it look old, distressed, and reclaimed

Once stained, they looked a little something like this:

hammer marks on distressed wood DIY project after applying dark stain finish

Trick #3: Break Out Your Nail Punch

In the shot above you can also see some of the “fake nail holes” that I made using an improvised nail punch (check out the video for more clarification on that method, which I couldn’t photograph since it took two hands). It almost looks like a spot that an actual nail was hit through the board, without actually having to embed nails in your wood.

Trick #4: Make Long Impressions

I also used the same tool to make some line impressions across the boards. I just laid it down and hammered on top of it to create a nice long ridge. You could do the same with any long, thin object that can withstand the impact of your hammer (a long nail laid on its side would work great). I though it created the effect that some hard edge had bumped into it over the years.

using metal rod and hammer to create long dents in new wood board to make it look old and beat up

I especially loved this effect once it was stained because it was so distinct. Why hello character, nice to meet you.

what long dent added to new wood looks like after staining with medium wood stain

Trick #5: Scrape & Scratch It Up

Using a big screw that I found in the basement, I dragged the thread across the board which roughed up the wood grain. After sanding it down again it really started to look like the wood was slightly rotted, just like some of the spots on the pallets that we couldn’t use (more on that here).

scraping course screw across new wood board to create distressed effect for DIY project

On a couple of boards I did this all the way up and down the length of the board, giving them a really cool and distinct look. Definitely far from the store-bought feel that they started with:

distressed effect on new wood boards to make them look old and reclaimed

If you watched the video, you can also catch a couple of techniques that I forgot to photograph: namely dragging a paint can opener to make long smooth scrapes down the length of the board (another effect that I really liked after stain was applied) and making those nail punch holes that I mentioned earlier.

Step 5: Give It One Last, Light Sand

I’ll be the first to admit that I probably overdid it when it came to trying so many different tricks – not to the detriment of the final result, just my own time. But since this kind of thing is my idea of fun, I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. And after I had taken out all of my aggression worked my new-to-old magic and had given everything one last light sanding (to ensure a smooth and not splintery finish), it was time for Sherry to take over for the staining portion of The Console Table Show.

Step 6: Gather Your Staining Materials

Get yourself set-up to stain your boards and gather your materials. Here’s what we used:

  • Rubber gloves (because wood stain is messy)
  • A cheap $1 paintbrush or two like these (because stain is messy and tends to ruin good brushes)
  • Spare rags to wipe up excess stain (because stain is… well, you know).
  • Your stain, we tag-teamed the boards with two different stain colors – Ebony by Minwax, and Dark Walnut by Minwax (which we already had from staining the bottom of the console).
  • Your sealer. Our favorite water-based non-toxic poly alternative, Safecoat Acrylacq, but you can also use polyurethane from your local hardware store.Just be sure to use something with a low sheen (matte is best) because anything glossy will make your wood look new again.
wood staining supplies including Minwax Wood finish, rags, latex gloves, and eco friendly sealer

We made a video of this process too, in case you’d prefer to save yourself all of this pesky reading (and want all the deets instead of just the highlights). Plus Sherry’s gloves make a fart sound, which is always a crowd pleaser.

But if you can’t watch the video (or you prefer words to moving images), here’s a quick rundown.

Step 7: Test Your Stain Colors

Keeping in mind that we wanted a fair amount of variation from board to board, Sherry did a few tests first to see what each of the stains looked like with a light coat of stain (wiped off quickly) and a heavy coat (which was allowed to penetrate for a bit longer). Here are the test boards with the light coats on the left and the heavy coats still soaking in on the right:

testing various stain finishes on scrap wood pieces to see which create the best old reclaimed look

We actually ended up liking both stain colors. We thought the Dark Walnut would help it relate to the bottom of the console (as well as some of the other dark woods in the room) while the Ebony would be a closer match the the gray pallet boards that originally inspired us. In reality, on a lot of the boards Sherry actually ended up using a layer of each color to achieve a tone somewhere in the middle so nothing looked too jarring.

stain color options on new wood boards using Mixwax Dark Walnut and Ebony stain colors

Step 8: Get Creative With Your Wood Stain

The only thing we didn’t like was that we wanted to get some boards even lighter than the stain seen on the above left (which was applied thinly and then wiped away immediately). So Sherry pulled some weird technique out of her you-know-what and it ended up working perfectly. Basically, she pre-washed the board with a light coat of plain water, let it soak in for a couple of seconds, and then went over the still-damp board with a light coat of stain (that way it soaked up less color thanks to the water that it absorbed first). For those who’d like more info, you can see this entire technique in action on the staining video.

watering down stain and applying to a damp board in order to create a lighter stain effect

It was by far the closest that we got to replicating the look of the pallets (you can see a random pallet board on the left in the picture above for reference). But we’re glad that it wasn’t a perfect match, because we realized that the pallets were too blue-gray for our living room (since it’s already dominated by a huge gray sectional with gray walls and gray beams we wanted to add some warmth and balance). So we were thrilled with the colors and the variations that we landed on, thanks to staining some and allowing the stain to penetrate a while, wiping it down right away on other boards, and using the water technique above to get some lighter variations. In the end, those brandspankinnew boards were all looking nice and rustic.

using wood stain to make new boards look old and reclaimed

Step 9: Seal & Enjoy Your Finished Product

You can see how our finished project turned out in this post (which includes yet another video!). It also includes details about how we assembled the 2ft sections into a long tabletop.

Wood Console Table Top With Distressed Rustic Look

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Comments

  1. Tracy says

    Wow, thanks for the tutorial. I think that distressing wood can sometimes look contrived, but this turned out very realistic. I’m intrigued by the fact that the water made the stain not soak in as much. When my husband and I refinished our hardwood floors last year we used this technique to make the stain soak in more. It’s called water-popping, and helped us achieve the nice espresso color we were going for. Maybe it’s because when you water-pop boards, you have to let them dry before applying stain? It’s definitely not for the faint of heart though, as it raises the grain, and makes you think that all the hard work you’d put into sanding the floor for weeks was ruined. (Luckily it’s not – they turned out beautiful) Anyway, enough rambling. Great job, love the console.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      No way that’s so interesting! I bet you’re right about it having to do with letting it dry since I went right over it with stain and then wiped it off again for a stripped and bare look.

      xo,
      s

  4. Sarah says

    Very cool! Thank you for sharing how you did this, it looks so awesome! I would love to try something like this to make a farmhouse kind of table. They can be so expensive so it’d be nice to get the look without the price! :)

    Reply

  6. Nancy says

    I wish I could figure out how to put my neurotic, long-toenailed dog to use for everyone because my hardwood floor looks quite “distressed” with no effort!

    Reply

  7. bailey says

    You have NO idea how much I appreciate the fact that you recognize that people are sneakily trying to read your blog while at work!! Yours is one of my favorite blogs ever!

    Reply

  8. Amanda says

    Bahaha “well hello character, nice to meet you”. For some reason that cracked me up.

    Love the screws dragged across the board! Looks awesome!

    Reply

  9. kitliz @ DIYdiva says

    I know not everybody has a barn full of vintage tools handy (I swear it’s one of the reasons I moved to the country.) But I found an old spoke shave and it works beautifully for making brand new 2-bys look like hand-hewn beams.

    If anyone is interested in what the heck a spoke shave is or how I used it, here’s a link to my rustic window trim.

    Reply

  10. julie says

    Oh you guys I LOVE when you post videos! Both of you are awesome on camera, watching John was seriously like watching hgtv. I am all for more videos! Although I have no idea what kinda time and effort goes into editing them.

    Reply

  12. Bethany says

    Making new wood look old really worked out well for you guys. What ever happened to making your old rocking chair look new again? I’ve been waiting for an update!

    Reply

  13. connie says

    these look so great! we just bought some unfinished cheap wood dressers from Ikea that we’re about to stain. But now I think we’ll try some of your aging [and banging and bruising] techniques as well. and thanks for the videos! they really helped.

    Reply

  14. Lori says

    This was an awesome post. Enough detail that I really think that I could do this! I’ve been dreaming about doing my dining room ceiling in distressed lumber for a while now…time to make a plan! Thanks so much.

    Reply

  15. Krystal says

    Whenever wood is cut and whittled for the large chain stores (Lowes, Menards, Home Depot), all the rejects end up in this big warehouse near my parents home. The warehouse is kind of a wonderland for DIYers because you can pick up anything for 50 cents to a dollar: solid oak trim and baseboard, crown molding, trim blocks, spindles, etc. I remember digging through the wood as a little girl and searching for pieces with knots and defects (as long as they were straight and not warped). I never understood why my parents wanted defective wood, but my dad would always grin stupidly after hanging trim and say, “Why hello character, nice to meet you.” I nearly spit out my breakfast when I read that line in your post. It brought back so many memories of remodeling rooms with my parents.

    Reply

  18. Shea says

    I love the console table, and the hidden nook in the middle! What a great idea! I really don’t care for the stain, although that’s just a matter of personal preference on my part. I think the two of you are a great team, and this was truly a job well done!

    Reply

  19. Mellissa says

    Your console looks fantastic! Loved reading about the different techniques. We stained our headboard and dresser by using steel wool soaked overnight in Apple Cider Vinegar. It gave the wood a nice, gray barnwood sort of look.

    Reply

  21. Layla says

    Man, a few horizontal boards, distressed and stained like that, would make the prettiest, cheapest, coolest headboard ever! Might have to attempt that!

    And the console looks amazing, by the way. So solid and rustic. Not at all like you just built it. Crazy!

    Reply

  22. Kristina says

    Hi. Love your blog. Just wanted to offer some clarification in case any one was confused by the term “white wood”. There is actually no such thing. It is white pine. Why is it sometimes labeled white wood?… I found this explanation:

    “When I asked the same thing of a guy working in the local Big Orange Store, he said it was White Pine, Their computer won’t accept “White Pine Wood” so they just call it “White Wood” so the bean counters can tell it is wood. They call the Red Oak “Oak Wood” and Maple is “Maple Wood” so his explanation may make some sense.”
    source: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?3886-White-Wood

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That’s so funny! Someone else dropped in to say that whitewood is a sustainable and affordable type of wood like pine (on an earlier post). I guess either way it did the trick! Haha.

      xo,
      s

    • Ted says

      What I was told years ago is that “white wood” is some generic wood that varies from region to region. Also, the same HD may get pine most of the time, but sometimes get spruce or aspen other times and rather than having to keep changing the shelf labels and computers and bar codes, etc, they just label it “white wood” so that it always sells for the same price regardless of what shipment comes in. It’s what they use for generic low cost wood product.

  24. Rebekah says

    The console is so beautiful – I love the dark wood (and the hidden compartment)! Though in a few months that job of making new wood old could easily be taken over by your daughter. I never knew how many “worm holes” could form in one table with a 20 month old and her trusty fork. I blogged about it myself following a table revival at the lettered cottage. Now that we are a few months shy of her 3rd birthday, things have gotten a little better. And I convinced my husband we needed a newer table with a hard wood. Before we sell the old one on craig’s list I need to take pics of her handywork! Cheers, Rebekah

    Post included: http://ourfamilytreeblog.com/?p=264

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, yes our shoeless lifestyle strikes again. Staining wasn’t too heavy duty (no toe damage ensued) and I didn’t want to get stain on my shoes. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  27. Bethany says

    You wood turned out lovely!

    We’ve also had success using a meat tenderizing mallet – the kind with the little points. You have to go for the cluster effect with it, too, but it looks really nice.

    I also saw a barnwood table once where the furniture maker had drilled out a few spots in the top and embedded colorful old antique marbles. It was a really neat effect.

    Reply

  28. Donna Huebsch says

    Great post – opted for the words instead of the videos, since we’re traveling and our Internet connection makes watching videos excruciating :o)

    Excellent results on aging your wood – really liked all the photos!

    Reply

  29. cathy says

    appreciate the play-by-play for all of us at work trying to keep it on the DL! great results! I’m already badgering my hubby into making something similar!

    Reply

  30. Matt @ Mango Furniture says

    Grr, I’ve read two posts about furniture and I’m already hooked on your blog! This tutorial is simply amazing and will swiftly be put to good use on an Ikea kitchen trolley I’m using as a basin stand in my new bathroom. I think I love you guys!

    Reply

  31. Our Creative Hands says

    I love your video first time I did this I was petrified, pun on words, but it seemed fun. Then I decided to see what would happened after I painted my wood even more fun. I did some sanding with either light or heavy grit sand paper depending on the look I wanted. Then I stained it gave the projects a wonderful look. Sometimes I just stained and not varnish because the stain helps perserve the look other times I spray with matte varnish…Its hard now just to paint a fresh coat of paint on wood without messing it up LOL…Sincerely Rachel
    http://www.ourcreativehands.com

    Reply

  32. pearl @ dashing diva says

    I’m SO happy to have found this tutorial as it’ll be great for a DIY project I have in mind! I bought some old chess seats at the markets and I’m using them to make a coat hanger but couldn’t figure out how to make my new wood pieces look “old”….so I’ve struck GOLD here! Thank you!

    Reply

  33. James says

    Hi, love the look! Did you varnish the wood after it was stained or does the stain have its own glossy look?

    Reply

  34. Charmaine says

    Me & my man just used this post/tutorial to make the wood for a desk he’s building look old. Litterally we read the post & watched the video right before going out & buying the minwax stain & other materials.

    The plan is to make the drawers out of old Coke crates, but buying the real thing would’ve ended up being way too expensive so I suggested this technique after seeing how great your table turned looked. Thanks!

    Reply

  35. Kate says

    My husband and I used your staining technique on a desk project and I am so pleased (surprised/impressed)! What started off as vaccuming the couch turned into a trip to HD for a wall bracket ended up beiing the construction of a distressed l-shaped desk. Pictures to follow soon!

    Reply

  36. Haley says

    Hey Sherry,
    I used your staining technique for a coffee table made from wooden pallets. I linked up to this post so my friends and family could see how y’all did it. Mine ended up being a lot darker than I intended, and I might have to do something about that… later.
    Thanks for sharing! I always enjoy you guys.
    Haley

    Reply

  37. LeeLee says

    This is insanely cool! We’re in the process of buying our first home, and your site has made me itch to get in there and start renovating and DIYing!

    Reply

  38. Ginger says

    Going to try this on a cradle I had made for my great nephew his dad is cowboy thru and thru. I made the walls in his nursery look like they are leather. Thanks for the help.

    Reply

  39. Erin says

    This is really helpful, I’m a student looking for a cheap and easy way to age some wood and this certainly was the answer i was looking for :) Thanks so much.
    You guys are such a charming couple by the way. :)

    Reply

  42. Jade says

    I recently distressed some wood for an old chalkboard frame and used a torch and burned in some areas as well as used a dremel tool with a wire brush type tip to wear in some grooves. Just a couple more ideas. :) But love all the ones you had here.

    Reply

  43. Stephen says

    Really great video!

    At the top of your article you mentioned that you “tag teamed” some pieces of wood with both stain colours.

    My question is what method did you use for that?

    Did you use spread the lighter stain on the wood using the water method; let it dry and then apply the darker stain without water and then rub down with a rag? or
    use some other method.

    Thanks

    Stephen

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It was all done at once so there wasn’t waiting for things to dry, I just sort of dunked my brush in one and swished it around and then rinsed it in water, spread some water on other spots and then brushed on the other stain on those water spots and sort of feathered it all into each other. Then we wiped it all down with a rag. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  44. Cori says

    Love this!! Have you ever tried the vinegar and steel wool technique? We’re trying to make an old gray wood chair rail from new cheap home depot wood for my sons nursery. Just trying to decide if that wood will work…thoughts? What wood did you guys use?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, I’m sure that’ll work! We haven’t tried it personally, but we’ve seen that technique done by other folks and it’s awesome (we hear it’s very very stinky- haha)! Good luck with everything!

      xo,
      s

  45. Melissa says

    Hey there! I just bought some awesome legs for a desk…but need to find/make the desk part! Any suggestions for where I can get a slab of wood in the DC (even Richmond) area? Thinking of staining like you’ve done above!

    Reply

  47. Danni Borchmann says

    Thanks for great inspiration. :) You have some very good ideas, and solutions. I have just begun my new “old” wood long table project, testing out stains, because I cant buy the stain you use in denmark, som im testing out a mix between black ibenholt, and dark oak water stain. So far the test results have turned out really good. :)

    Kind Regards

    Danni Borchmann
    Denmark. :)

    Reply

  48. Theresa Musgrove says

    Love it! You would love the old clock Im making as a surprise for my favoriet seesters 50th Birthday…She just finished an outside porch and is going to love the new/old clock to hang on the bricks…made out of recycled decking board…Its going to be a beautiful reminder of her Birthday… thanks to your old nut tricks…I mean nail, screws and stain :) Love the tips just what I was looking for. Thank you BERRY MUCH in advance from my favorite seester.. Happy 50th Cindy!!!! GOOGLE IS MY BEST FRIEND…next to you of course! :)

    Reply

  50. Stella says

    This is awesome! I have been dying to make some funky furniture out of some pine boards we have laying around in the garage and this is exactly what I was thinking. Thanks so much for the post!!

    Reply

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